Effective HRM encompasses career planning, career development and succession planning. Even though in this era of rapid technological changes, organizations are besieged with the problem of manpower redundancy, organizations are equally concerned with the problem of retention of manpower. While one way to increase retention is by extrinsic motivational reinforces, the other way obviously is to address to the need of employees, which centers on individual career planning and career development. From an organization’s point of view also, these initiatives reinforces their strategic plans and make their goals and objectives achievable. An organization without career planning and career development initiatives is likely to encounter the highest rate of attrition, causing much harm to their plans and programmers. Similarly without succession planning, manning of vacancies, particularly at higher levels, become difficult. These are examples of many organizations, which had to suffer for not being able to find a right successor for their key positions. With the increases scope for job mobility and corporate race for global headhunting of good performers, it is now a well-established fact that normal employment span for key performers remains awfully short. At times it is even shorter than three years. This again strengthens the need for effective career planning, career development and succession planning.
Organizations have realized that the only way in which they can retain their top talents is by offering the prospect of growth. Hence organizations are spending more and more time in planning, designing and modifying their employee’s careers. An individual with potentials joins a firm not for job but for career development. An organization has to provide better opportunities to its employees in their career planning and development and also use their efficient services for the benefit of the organizations. A proper linking between career of an employee and the organizational needs is essential. This gives benefit to employees and the organization.
According to Edwin B. Flippo, “a career is a sequence of separate but related work activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a person’s life. “As a literate definition of career focuses on an individually perceived sequence, to be more accurate, career may be either individual-centered or organization-centered. Therefore, career is often defined separately as external career and internal career. external career refers to the objective categories used by society and organizations to describe the progression of steps through a given occupation, while internal career refers to the set of steps or stages which make up the individuals own concepts of career progression within an occupation. For such two different approaches, in organisational context, career can be identified as an integrated pace of vertical and lateral movement in an approach is intended to minimize diversity of hopes and expectations of employees matching individually perceived career with organization-centered career.
Career planning

Gone are those days where you could depend on continuous employment and job security. With minimal planning, your career happened naturally. Consequently, we are unaware of today's career challenges. In a today’s competitive environment the level of uncertainty has increased. Even the question, "what's my future?" bothers to most confident individuals. And the answers are not quickly forthcoming.

Career planning is a lifelong process, which includes choosing an occupation, getting a job, growing in our job, possibly changing careers, and eventually retiring. The Career Planning Site offers coverage of all these areas. This article will focus on career choice and the process one goes through in selecting an occupation. This may happen once in our lifetimes, but it is more likely to happen several times as we first define and then redefine ourselves and our goals.

The career planning nowadays is the necessary step for every person. The majority of people think that the career planning must be done during the studying in the university, but in fact it is the unbroken process it should be done constantly during the life to find the right way. There are many types of the career planning and this process must start before the university studying.

The career planning can help to clarify the professional interests and the career objectives. The career planning on this stage can help to choose the appropriate university or college and the appropriate major. After the graduation the career planning helps to find the direction of the professional life and to form the business plan of the future career. During the life the person can make the changes in the career planning and it is very important to do it in time.

The career planning helps to choose the right way in the professional life. If it is too difficult for person to determinate in the professional goals, there are a lot of tests, which can help to choose the appropriate profession and field. These tests were created to clarify the interests of the person and the fields in which the person is talented. In some universities there are some additional courses devoted to the career planning. During the lessons the students can learn the peculiarities of different courses, degrees and to choose the most interesting. It is better to spend some time in the beginning of the studying, than to regret after the choosing of the incorrect course.

Career planning is a good method to choose the right way in the life and to be satisfied with the chosen profession. The teachers are always ready to help in the profession orientation. The right career planning in the youth guarantee the success in the future
A method of doing something that is worked out in detail before any career activity is actually begun. The planning process usually includes the following steps: Self-Assessment, identifying and exploring career options; setting goals and planning action steps to achieve those goals; taking action in accordance with the career plan

Hence, it is essential to take control of your career and the decisions which will pose responsibility and reward, accountability and achievement. Career planning helps you meet your professional and personal need.

Along this continuum, career decisions will differ according to your personal and professional criteria at each juncture of life. With research and guidance, you can clarify goals; achieve balance among work, family and self; and avoid reactive and costly decisions.

Features of career planning

Developmental guidance process
Helps students identify their strengths and needs and build a career plan based on the same process used by professional career planners.
Research-based assessment system
Provides an efficient assessment of a student's career-relevant interests, abilities and job values as part of the career counseling process.
World-of-Work Map
organizes vast amounts of information about occupations into six clusters (related to Holland's Hexagon). The detailed career descriptions with occupation salaries focus on primary work tasks and help students focus on preparing for meaningful and appropriate employment.
Occupation database
Provides detailed information on hundreds of career descriptions in the current U.S. labor market, with many ways to search the database. Related military occupations are also provided.
Majors or programs of study
Helps students develop a college plan with a searchable file that includes detailed descriptions of typical college courses, high school preparation plans, college majors, related occupations, and types of schools that offer the programs.
Educational options
Helps individuals identify postsecondary education or training options that fit their career plan.
School database
Provides information needed for college planning, including virtually all two- and four-year colleges, graduate/professional schools and most career/technical schools. DISCOVER also features a detailed search process to identify the schools that have the features students want.
Job-seeking skills
Helps individuals prepare for a successful job search by learning good interviewing skills, how to write a resume and cover letter, and more.

Scope of career planning
The following activities are covered within the scope of organisational career planning:

a) Human resource forecasting and planning
Here, efforts will be made to identify the number of employees required in future. In addition, the selection procedure will be adjusted with the overall strategic goals of the organisation.

b) Career information
Here, information relating to career opportunities (promotions, training for self development, etc) will be supplied to employees. The career paths and competency requirement will be brought to their notice. Supplying career information/opportunities has special significant as this motivates employees to grow and reach to higher position.

c) Career counseling
Such counseling is next to supplying career information. Career counseling is possible by senior executives through periodic discussions with their subordinates. Even experts may be appointed for providing career guidance to individual employees. Such counseling helps them to understand their strengths and weaknesses in their context of career opportunities available in the organisations. Such career guidance encourages subordinate employees to take interesting certain areas where suitable opportunities at career development are available. It is a type of internal guidance and motivation of employees for their selection of possible career paths. Such counseling is needed when employees have selection of possible career paths. Such counseling is needed when employees have to plan their own careers and develop themselves for career progress. it also helps employees in removing unrealistic expectations and selecting career options which can be achieved with confidence.

d) Career pathing
Management now plans job sequences for transfer and promotions of their employees. This makes transfers and promotions systematically with advance information to employees. Career pathing creates mental make up of employees foe self development.
e) Skill assessment training
Training is essential for career planning and also for manpower development. Along with job analysis, organizational and job manpower requirement analysis should be undertaken by the management. This prepares proper background for the introduction of career planning programmes for employees.

f) Succession planning
Succession planning enables your organization to identify talented employees and provide education to develop them for future higher level and broader responsibilities. Succession planning helps you "build bench strength." Succession planning helps you decide where people belong on the bus. Find out more.
Succession planning is a process whereby an organization ensures that employees are recruited and developed to fill each key role within the company. Succession planning ensures you can fill key roles from within your organization.

Five Processes of Career Planning.

The context in which career decisions are commonly made is dynamic: occupations are changing rapidly, society is becoming increasingly complex and multicultural, and individuals need to plan for diverging rather than converging career paths. Furthermore, in times of social change and economic uncertainty, clients often feel discouraged, despondent, and hopeless about their futures. The increasing complexities of client needs and career counseling interventions have rendered inadequate and simplistic approaches to resolving career issues. Although traditional approaches still may play a role in career planning, additional emphasis must be placed on other issues: how self-concept is implemented (Super, 1990), personal adaptability (Super, 1985), and personal meaning-making (Miller-Tiedeman & Tiedemann, 1990). Career counseling should also help clients achieve independence rather than dependence. Such factors necessitate a different vision of the counseling process.
THE FIVE PROCESSES
The model in this paper describes five processes critical to effective career planning: initiation, exploration, decision-making, preparation, and implementation (Magnusson, 1991, 1992). The processes are cyclical, although a few clients may begin at initiation and proceed sequentially through to implementation.

1:-INITIATION
Initiation means to set in motion. Clients become discouraged or lose hope and strategies to secure meaningful engagement are necessary. The initiation process addresses three core issues:

1. Establishing an effective counseling relationship. Traditional approaches to career counseling often overlook the importance of the therapeutic relationship. However, the establishment of a strong therapeutic alliance can be invaluable in motivating clients to take action.
2. Determining current motivation for career planning. This involves a detailed examination of presenting issues, with a particular emphasis on identifying client motivation for change and the context in which that change must occur. With this information, counselors can determine if clients are ready for specific career planning activities or if other interventions are needed.

3. Building relevance for career planning. Many clients who enter career counseling are discouraged and see themselves with limited opportunities. Counselors must encourage these clients and foster hope. Typically this is done by identifying issues of meaning for the client and by promoting a sense of the future.
To illustrate, clients may be asked to complete a "significant experiences" exercise, in which they write a 2-3 page narrative describing some accomplishment or experience of which they are proud. Client and counselor work together to identify the skills and characteristics that were demonstrated and then clients are asked to select the 5-10 most meaningful of these. Posing a simple question such as "How would you like to experience that level of pride again?" invariably increases client motivation for career planning. Attending to the core initiation issues increases client awareness of the career planning process, builds trust in the counselor, and renews hope by helping clients build a vision of the future.
2:-EXPLORATION
Exploration helps clients discover ways to implement aspects of their vision while concomitantly attending to issues of meaning and personal context. This is most effectively done by capitalizing on the renewed sense of energy and hope that arises during initiation. While formal assessment and occupational information sources may be useful, informal strategies tend to produce more meaningful, more accurate, and more enduring results. These include information interviewing, relational networking, job shadowing, and work experience.
For example, clients who have completed the significant experiences exercise described above will have a ranked list of skills and characteristics that were associated with a meaningful experience. Clients can be taught basic networking techniques to identify other people who share a similar passion. An interesting outcome of informal networking is that the occupational titles of the contacts are often surprising to clients--they never associated the occupation or setting with their own attributes. In this way, new vistas may be opened to clients as intriguing options spawn further exploration. Opportunities to experience the passion, through job shadowing or work experience, serve to validate initial impressions. Thus, initiation determines what is meaningful to clients, while exploration determines how that meaning may be expressed.
3:-DECISION-MAKING
Decision-making has one dominant issue: How to select the most appropriate option from the range of alternatives discovered to date. Formal decision-making models and strategies may be useful; however, these strategies by themselves rarely leave clients with a good feeling for the decision. Most clients are more comfortable with decisions which "emerge" as a result of engagement in the career planning process. When initiation and exploration have been thorough, a "right choice" crystallizes for most clients. Formal strategies may then be used to confirm a choice, rather than determine a choice.

Uncertainty is a major obstacle to career planning most clients needs to recognize that a certain amount of ambiguity is associated with any decision. At this stage in the planning process, clients need to rely on their intuition to guide them to tentative choices. This may be encouraged by exploring how clients feel about alternatives they have encountered during exploration, and by using "what if" scenarios to prevent perceived barriers from prematurely ruling out options (e.g., "What if it was possible to ...?). The emotional response to an option may then be used as the catalyst for cognitive appraisal (e.g., a consequences matrix) and specific preparation.

4:-PREPARATION
Preparation focuses on planning the specific steps required to implement the choices made earlier (including the choice to engage in further exploration). Preparation results in a detailed, concrete plan for goal attainment and involves two key issues:
1. Developing an action plan which may include: Contracts between client and counselor that specify the next set of steps that will be taken by the client, and how those steps will be evaluated and reported; and time lines, or graphic action plans. A horizontal line is drawn across a page, with the word "Now" at the extreme left and the client's goal statement at the extreme right. Each major step required to achieve the goal is listed on the time line, with spacing proportionate to the estimated time needed. An opportunity web transforms the time line into a branching career path. For each major step, at least one alternative step is identified and plotted on the page as an intersecting line that produces a different path. The alternatives are identified by asking "What if for some reason you were unable to complete Step X - then what would you do?" Clients learn to prepare for uncertainty by thinking ahead and having a back-up plan ready.
2. Developing prerequisite skills and resources for implementation. These may include: occupational (e.g., job searches); educational (e.g., study skills, applying for admission to educational institutions); personal (e.g., anger management, substance abuse). The means for developing prerequisite skills must be included in the overall action plan. Clients should also identify the resources available and the resources needed for implementation (e.g., obtaining funding for education).
5:-IMPLEMENTATION
In implementation, the client carries out the action plan. Two strategies govern implementation:
1. Developing support. Many decisions reached in the safety of the counselor's office are never implemented because of lack of support in the client's environment. Clients must learn both how to identify allies (as well as enemies) and how to nurture facilitative relationships.
2. Developing systems for feedback and reward. Clients also need to develop ways to monitor and reward their progress. Merging the social support and feedback functions helps clients develop independence from counselors.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
The five processes model has been used with a variety of groups (e.g., Native Canadians in northern communities, street kids in urban settings, inmates of correctional facilities, youth in schools, and adults in transition). These groups often reported disenchantment and disillusionment with available career planning services. However, the initiation exercises excited them, increasing their hope and nurturing their dreams. This excitement led to vigorous and thorough exploration--even the most reticent clients were captivated by processes which allowed them to explore their passions in meaningful ways. Having found a focus for their passion, they were more committed to planning ways to realize their dreams and were more likely to follow through with their plans. Because they understood each process as it developed, they became less reliant on formal counseling. The seeds of self-sufficiency and adaptability were planted.
The dynamic nature of the occupational scene demands a dynamic system for career planning interventions; one that attends to issues of client uniqueness and personal meaning. By focusing on the critical career planning processes, counselors allow themselves the flexibility to attend to unique client needs.

Four stages of career planning

1. Self Assessment
This is where medical students and doctors in training address the fundamental questions, “Who am I?” and “What do I want from my medical career?” Students and trainees can register themselves on this website and can complete detailed self-assessments of a variety of factors including personal influences, work values, interests, personality and skills. Through this, answers to these questions will begin to emerge. Results from these activities will be automatically stored in a confidential personal profile, which can be used during the subsequent career planning stages.

Trainee doctors will have a portfolio to help with self-assessment, you should always ask them to bring their portfolios with them when you are meeting with them. The foundation trainee portfolio has a section on career management.

2. Career Exploration
Medical students and doctors in training will learn about the importance of research in helping them to choose their specialty. They will find out where to look and what to look for, including where to find the most relevant publications and how to track down the most informative contacts.

The detailed information on the specialty pages on this website will help medical students and trainees. It will also be beneficial to direct both students and trainees to their University/Education Centre libraries which will have useful careers guides.
If foundation trainees want to apply post-foundation to a specialty in which they have not had a rotation, they should be encouraged to try tasters and/or to complete audits. See Guidance on Tasters for Foundation Trainees published on the UKFPO website.

3. Decision Making
With a good understanding of themselves and their career options, students and doctors in training will be ready to start making some solid career decisions. This section walks them through how to align their self-assessment with what they have learned about the different specialties in order to make their choice.

At this stage it is important to check back to ensure that medical students and trainees have thoroughly completed stages 1 and 2. You should check the robustness of their decision-making by asking them questions about their decision and challenging them where necessary – see section V in ROADS to Success (Reid and Elton, 2008)

It is also important that medical students and trainees also have a back-up plan in case they are unsuccessful in achieving their first choice option. They may not want to consider this and in the end it is their own choice. If they are reluctant to do so, you can always point out that research by Borges et al in 2004 has suggested that it is a myth that each trainee is only suited to one particular specialty. Some trainees at this stage may require specialist careers advice.

4. Plan Implementation
This final stage provides practical advice for getting into specialty training, including how to make the most of your experience in CVs and tips for success at interviews and assessment centers.

Career stages
According to Boehlert, the five definite stages of development from the guidance point of view are:
1. Stage of Growth until 13 years:
This stage is regarded as the stage of fantasy. The individual has rapid physical and mental development and participates in all types of activities irrespective of whether it suits his abilities, temperament or not. He fantasies himself in future roles without considering whether he can actually accomplish them. He has still not developed his value system and a definite plan of action to forge ahead. The need for guidance at this stage is most important in the area of development and adjustment. If for any reason, he feels thwarted or strangulated, it would permanently damage his personality, e.g. if parental attitudes are dominant or overprotective; or there is tremendous sibling jealousy, or there is unhealthy antagonistic environment at school. Guidance is also needed in the area of educational and professional development.

2. Stage of Exploration:
This is the second stage of development from ages 13 to 25 and is called the tentative stage. By 13, the individual begins to show specialization as special abilities or aptitudes come into prominence. From the world of fantasy, he begins to settle down to a certain plan of action or shows consistency in his participation of activities, not randomly selected or visualizes an educational course which will lead him to his vocational choice and so on. As mentioned, he begins to explore all opportunities coming his way and makes a choice, not out of sheer pleasure or fancy but out of careful considerations of what is possible for him or good for him. Guidance is needed most in the adjustment area, as the individual enters adolescence and finds himself lost with the world around him. Most of the work of a guidance counselor is concentrated at this stage of development. If the individual is properly guided at this stage, his further development will be facilitated.

3. Stage of Establishment:
This is the third stage in the development progress between the age group of 25 and 40 years, and it is called the realistic stage. By now, the individual is in a career and has completed formal training and education. He has to gain vocational development, adjustment and maturity. Guidance may be required, if the individual finds that his inter-personal relationship is not in order and is not able to get along with his colleagues or his boss. If he has developed sensitiveness to the miseries of the people around him and desires to do some civic or community service to the disturbed or the handicapped, he may ask guidance in the area and plan his time and energy to gain maximum satisfaction.

4. Stage of Maintenance:
The fourth stage is referred to as a stage of stability, between ages 40 and 65. He has by now accomplished all what he needs to and has almost come to the stage of retirement. The guidance that he needs, at this stage is with regard to economic matters and leisure time. If he is dependent on his children, at this stage, he normally intends passing his time in religious activities and projects connected with religious institutions.

5. Stage of Decline:
This is the fifth stage, around the age of 65 to 75, when the adjustments become the most. Unless the individual has had a full, contented life, this period becomes one of trials and tribulations. The greatest need is to help the individual to feel that he is wanted, that he is still useful and that his family members care for him. Also gradually, he needs to be prepared to face death and whatever his ailments be, he has to learn to bear them with courage and cheerfulness till the very end.
Thus, we see that at each stage of development, guidance is required and is necessarily sought and if given systematically and scientifically it will help to make the individual fully satisfied and life worth living.

Career Development

The process of identifying and implementing career activities that cause change for the purpose of growth. Career development activities are usually derived from the career planning process (e.g., self-assessment). The career development process breaks down each of the planning steps into more detail (e.g., what kind of self-assessment should be conducted; how are the results interpreted; how are the results applied to exploring career options; etc. Progression through a sequence of jobs, involving continually more advanced or diverse activities and resulting in wider or improved skills, greater responsibility and prestige, and higher income. Formerly, career development was seen as the responsibility of the employer, and many organizations had formal career development programs that marked an employee's advancement through the levels of management. It is now more usually held to be the responsibility of the employee, sometimes as part of the CPD process
Definition:
Career development involves managing your career either within or between organizations. It also includes learning new skills, and making improvements to help you in your career. Career development is an ongoing, lifelong process to help you learn and achieve more in your career.

Whether you are looking at making a career change, or moving up within a company, planning your own career development will help you succeed.
By creating a personal career development plan, you can set goals and objectives for your own personal career growth.
Don't make the mistake of leaving your career development future in the hands of your employer, hoping that you will get the next promotion or pay raise. This misconception can lead to job dissatisfaction and resentment.
You may have already experienced this...
You work for so long for a company, hoping that your hard work and efforts will be rewarded. After a while, you're burned out, and you become disappointed and jaded, not understanding why you can't seem to get ahead. While many employers do have career development programs in place, there is no guarantee that your dream position will be open when you're ready, or that all your efforts will finally be rewarded.
Just realizing that you need to take control of your own career future is the first step to career growth and job satisfaction

Career Development Process
The career development process helps you to assess your skills and interests, and explore the options at every stage. This will enable you to formulate career strategies which respect your personal and professional priorities.
Many of us stumble into a career doing less research than when we make a major purchase. When buying a car, most of us do research, compare prices, shop around, and talk to people. Our careers last longer than most vehicles. We owe it to ourselves to devote time and effort to choosing a career or making a career change. One way to do this is through the career development process.
Making a successful plan for your future is a continual process through which you will cycle many times. Regardless of class year, you may jump in at whatever point is relevant to you. You may be working on two stages at once.
Career development is:
• an ongoing, lifelong process
• an active process; we must be the driving force behind the process, gathering information, setting goals, and making decisions
• an introspective process of self-assessment and reflection
• a time-consuming process
• a holistic process, which integrates our changing needs, wants, relationships, and situations with the ever-changing world of work
Below is a model of the career development process:

SELF-ASSESSMENT
The starting point in the career
development process is identifying your skills, competencies, values, interests, goals and personality style in order to analyze the available career paths and to explore realistic job opportunities. The key questions include:
What do I like to do?
What is my identity?
What are my interests?
What do I value in the workplace?
What motivates me and what do I need to do to grow professionally?
What skills/competencies do I possess? What new ones do I want to develop?
This will lead you to self analysis which will form the base for all the decisions.

EXPLORATION: Learn about different career and education options. Once you have done some self-assessment, you can move to researching and exploring the world of work. Identify and research your career options matching to your interests, values, skills and personality. See your identity as a "career researcher" who identifies resources, gathers information, and evaluates career options. Your task is to find information sources and to target organizations that meet your specific requirements.
FOCUS AND DECISION-MAKING: You need to narrow down your search and based on your goals, decide what kind of job suits you. Also identify the kinds of organizations and positions that are a good "fit" for you. Decide on the kind of job that will fit your interests, values, skills, experience and knowledge.
ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION: Develop your action plan. One way is networking wherein you can develop relationships with people who can provide current career information in your specific field of interest. It is also the best way to acquire jobs. The major resource in the job search process is an effective network. In addition to this effective resume, CV, and cover letter writing, and presentation, interview, and job negotiation skills should be reviewed and practiced.
EVALUATION: Career development is an ongoing process and needs evaluation at various stages of life. Managing your career is a life-long process. As you grow professionally amidst a changing job market, you will need to constantly re-assess your career development and make any necessary adjustments. Review your goals and decisions continuously. Always keep your network active and up-to-date.

The 6 Stages of Modern Career Development
Career experts say that people will change careers (not jobs) 5-7 times in a lifetime. This being true, career management is an important life skill to develop and cultivate. There are six stages of modern career development: Assessment, Investigation, Preparation, Commitment, Retention, and Transition. Learning the characteristics of each stage will empower you to navigate through each stage easily and with more confidence.
Assessment Stage
In the Assessment Stage, you are getting ready for your life’s work. This stage is characterized by unawareness, in that you are not sure what your values, strengths, and weaknesses are. You start to feel like you want to know more about yourself and make a conscious effort to get in touch with who you really are.
Key characteristics:
• Taking assessment instruments
• Working with a career counselor or career coach
Investigation Stage
In the Investigation Stage, you are researching what work exists in the world. This stage is characterized by feelings of confusion, in that you are not sure what career options exist for you. You may feel overwhelmed with all of the different jobs and opportunities that exist as you begin the process of researching the modern world of work. But if you approach this stage with a positive frame of mind, you will find that you will learn about many possibilities you may have never considered.

Key characteristics:
• Researching the world of work
• Conducting informational interviews with people in your chosen field
Preparation Stage
In the Preparation Stage, you are still getting ready to do your life’s work. This stage is characterized by feelings of excitement, as you think of how wonderful it will be to perform meaningful work. However, there is still much work to be done, and in order to be successful, you have to be prepared.

Key characteristics:
• Gaining knowledge and experience
• Setting goals and adopting a success-oriented mind-set.
Commitment Stage
In the Commitment Stage, you will feel confident, in that you have figured out what you are meant to do. Sometimes people have known all along what they were meant to do, but were not able to commit to the process of making it happen, for whatever reason. At this stage, more than ever, you must focus your energy and keep your eye on the target.
Key characteristics:
• Conducting a job search
• Negotiating and accepting a job offer
Retention Stage
In the Retention Stage, you will feel comfortable in your career field, as you will now have figured out how things work in your industry. You will want to remain committed to your career by continually updating your skill set and staying current with industry standards.
Key characteristics:
• Providing first-class customer service skills
• Building a professional network
Transition Stage
The Transition Stage is characterized by feelings of discomfort, in that you are unsure of what you will be doing next (and/or if you will be happy). In this stage, you will learn to make conscious changes in your career direction.
Key characteristics:
• Making career changes
• Developing resiliency
No matter what career stage you find yourself in now, you can be sure that you will enter and re-enter through these six stages many times though out your lifetime.

Six Tips for Effective Career Development Programs

1 Walk the halls
Senior management meetings are not the right place to glean the career aspirations of your staff. "My organization is five deep. If I waited for the chain of command, I would never get the information I do by just asking people about their careers," says Samantra Sengupta, CIO of the Scotts Co. "I walk the halls a lot and sit down with people at all levels to understand their needs and desires." Based in part on staff feedback, Sengupta decided to split what was solely a managerial career path into three separate paths: traditional management, heavy technical competency with light management and architecture with no management responsibilities. The paths carry similar compensation plans but allow each person to do what he does best. Before you walk the halls, make sure you clearly understand how much flexibility HR will allow when setting up a new career development program, cautions Sengupta. "If you encourage people on your staff to give you a data dump about their career, they may believe that you will act on their wishes," he says. "You have to know what you can and cannot do before you initiate the discussion."
2 Create an integrated job model.
When Jim Burdiss became CIO of Smurfit-Stone in January 2002, there were few titles on his staff other than "systems analyst." So he put Keith Fehd, director of applications development and support, in charge of developing a program that would define paths for progression along four distinct disciplines: applications, infrastructure, business operations and management. "The program is successful because it integrates job titles with salaries, skill requirements, merit increases and our annual review process," says Burdiss. "We now have a much clearer view into the skills of our organization, and our people truly understand their growth potential."
3 Launch a publicity campaign.
Just like any major initiative, a new career development program needs a timely and effective communication plan. "It took us 14 months to build our integrated model," says Smurfit-Stone’s Fehd. "If we had publicized it early or not well enough, we would have raised expectations or created uncertainty about a pretty sensitive subject."
4 Promote leaders carefully.
Successful project leaders do not necessarily make great managers, says Linda Brigance, CIO of FedEx Asia Pacific. "People tend to look at great projects and want to promote their leaders," she says. "But we need to pay close attention to how their leadership skills translate in tougher situations. Are they as successful at guiding and motivating their teammates when the going gets tough?"
5 Incorporate business training
Burdiss at Smurfit-Stone hired an outside consultant to design a "Business 101" course specifically for the IT team. With sections on the supply chain, supply and demand planning, marketing, budgeting and financials, the business course has gone a long way toward helping the IT people at Smurfit-Stone understand the business they support.

6 Use cross-training.
When Barbara Kunkel, CIO of Nixon Peabody, is out of the office, one of her direct reports is acting CIO. Her managers regularly facilitate department meetings, entry-level technical support specialists team up with seasoned staff, and office services employees intern in the IT department during the summer months. "Cross-training is a great career development tool," says Kunkel. "But it needs to be a planned activity with clearly thought-out goals, and it should provide workers with continued job enrichment opportunities once they return to their routine duties."

Career Anchor

A guiding force that influences people's career choices, based on self-perception of their own skills, motivation, and values. The term was coined by Edgar Schein in Career Anchors: Discovering Your Real Values, published in 1985. He believed that people develop one underlying anchor, perhaps subconsciously, that they are unwilling to give up when faced with different pressures. Schein distinguishes several career anchor groups such as technical/functional competence, managerial competence, creativity, security or stability, and autonomy.
A pattern of skills, interests, and values developed in the early stages of a person's career, when that person begins to recognize his or her abilities and the aspects of work that he or she enjoys most. Career anchors help to guide subsequent decisions about jobs and careers. The term was introduced by US organizational theorist Edgar H. Schein.
Edgar Schein at MIT has identified eight themes and has shown that people will have prioritized preferences for these. For example a person with a primary theme of Security/Stability will seek secure and stable employment over, say, employment that is challenging and riskier. People tend to stay anchored in one area and their career will echo this in many ways.
EXAMPLE FOR CAREER PLANNING

LG takes up career planning for employees
NEW DELHI: In an innovative way to beat attrition, which has hit 30 per cent across the industrial sector, LG Electronics India is taking up a 5-year programme to nurture the career of its white-collared employees.
The company, which, over the years has managed to keep its attrition rate at 6 per cent, kicked off the new programme for its executives this month.
"Traditionally, we have had low attrition rates but we are also aware of how to make our employees grow along with the company. The career planning programme is aimed toward achieving that objective," LG Electronics India HR Director Yasho V Verma said.
The company has made the programme mandatory for its white-collared employees that number about 1,900.
"In this initiative all our employees will have to undergo an assessment by experts who would help them identify their weak points," Verma said, adding during the course of the next five years they would be given thorough training in those areas.
He said a batch of 12 people will undergo a test for two days of identification and training process, which would be based on hierarchy.
"The senior employees will be assessed on the basis of their vision and leadership abilities. The young people will be assessed as per their functional capabilities," Verma added.
Verma said the company has been able to grow its factory workers into sectional leaders.
Disclosing another reason for LG keeping a low attrition rate, Verma said, "Empowerment is the key and we have been able to empower our employees even at the lowest levels."
The potential of an employee is best explored when he is put onto a decision-making position and it also gives them job satisfaction, he added.
On an average, the company makes about 300-400 new recruitments a year in various departments and would continue almost the same this year too, Verma said.

UNIVERSITY QUESTIONS

Q.1) Explain the concepts
a) Career planning
A career is the job that a person holds during his life time. Career path is the sequential pattern of jobs that form a career. Career goals refer to the future position one tries to hold. Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to these goals. With the rise in industrial growth career planning has assumed greater significant. Rapid improvement in planning provides suitable promotional opportunities. Employee placement is corrected and dissatisfaction and turnover is reduced. Organisation can make better use of managerial talents. Career planning improves motivation and morale. Effective career planning needs proper study and analysis of environmental factors affecting the business.

b) Succession planning
Career planning, manpower planning and succession planning are complementary and interdependent. All the three are essential for the effective utilization of organisation’s human resource. Succession refers to position fallen vacant or likely to fall vacant in near future. A succession of persons to fill up key positions over time essential for the survival and success of an organization. The basic purpose of succession planning is it identify and develop people to replace current incumbents in key positions in cases of resignation, retirement, promotions, expansion and creation of new position in an organisation. Succession by people from within the organization is desirable as this provides opportunities to employees for progress in their careers. Complete dependence on outside talent may cause stagnation in the career prospects of present employees which in turn may lead to frustration and high turnover.

Career planning and succession planning are similar but not synonymous. A succession plan involves identification of vacancies that are likely to occur in the higher levels and locating the probable successors. Succession planning motivates employees and facilities continuity of the organisation. A succession plan consists of a runner up chart or succession chart for a particular position in an organisation as shown below:
Current designation Age Color code (identity)
Mr. A Marketing manager 54 Blue
Mr. B Works manager 57 White
Mr. C Financial manager 56 Red
Mr. D Production manager 59 Green
Mr. E Personnel manager 52 yellow
This chart helps the managing director to identify a successor to the general manager. Succession planning, as an organisational practice is comparatively technique. It was in practice in the olden princely states in India under which an heir used to be nominated an efforts were made to groom him to take the place of the king in due course. The same concept of succession is now applied in business organisation with suitable adjustments. There are three basic elements in succession planning. These are:
i) Deciding the positions for which successors are needed.
ii) Identifying most suitable successors.
iii) Grooming of successors so as to make him competent to occupy new position with confidence in due course.

Q.2) Short note on career planning
A career is the job that a person holds during his life time. Career path is the sequential pattern of jobs that form a career. Career goals refer to the future position one tries to hold. Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to these goals. With the rise in industrial growth career planning has assumed greater significant. Rapid improvement in planning provides suitable promotional opportunities. Employee placement is corrected and dissatisfaction and turnover is reduced. Organisation can make better use of managerial talents. Career planning improves motivation and morale. Effective career planning needs proper study and analysis of environmental factors affecting the business.

Gone are those days where you could depend on continuous employment and job security. With minimal planning, your career happened naturally. Consequently, we are unaware of today's career challenges. In a today’s competitive environment the level of uncertainty has increased. Even the question, "what's my future?" bothers to most confident individuals. And the answers are not quickly forthcoming.

Career planning is a lifelong process, which includes choosing an occupation, getting a job, growing in our job, possibly changing careers, and eventually retiring. The Career Planning Site offers coverage of all these areas. This article will focus on career choice and the process one goes through in selecting an occupation. This may happen once in our lifetimes, but it is more likely to happen several times as we first define and then redefine ourselves and our goals.
The career planning nowadays is the necessary step for every person. The majority of people think that the career planning must be done during the studying in the university, but in fact it is the unbroken process it should be done constantly during the life to find the right way. There are many types of the career planning and this process must start before the university studying.
The career planning can help to clarify the professional interests and the career objectives. The career planning on this stage can help to choose the appropriate university or college and the appropriate major. After the graduation the career planning helps to find the direction of the professional life and to form the business plan of the future career. During the life the person can make the changes in the career planning and it is very important to do it in time.
The career planning helps to choose the right way in the professional life. If it is too difficult for person to determinate in the professional goals, there are a lot of tests, which can help to choose the appropriate profession and field. These tests were created to clarify the interests of the person and the fields in which the person is talented. In some universities there are some additional courses devoted to the career planning. During the lessons the students can learn the peculiarities of different courses, degrees and to choose the most interesting. It is better to spend some time in the beginning of the studying, than to regret after the choosing of the incorrect course.
Career planning is a good method to choose the right way in the life and to be satisfied with the chosen profession. The teachers are always ready to help in the profession orientation. The right career planning in the youth guarantee the success in the future
A method of doing something that is worked out in detail before any career activity is actually begun. The planning process usually includes the following steps: Self-Assessment, identifying and exploring career options; setting goals and planning action steps to achieve those goals; taking action in accordance with the career plan

Hence, it is essential to take control of your career and the decisions which will pose responsibility and reward, accountability and achievement. Career planning helps you meet your professional and personal need.

Along this continuum, career decisions will differ according to your personal and professional criteria at each juncture of life. With research and guidance, you can clarify goals; achieve balance among work, family and self; and avoid reactive and costly decisions.

Q.3) Short note on stages in career planning
1. Self Assessment
This is where medical students and doctors in training address the fundamental questions, “Who am I?” and “What do I want from my medical career?” Students and trainees can register themselves on this website and can complete detailed self-assessments of a variety of factors including personal influences, work values, interests, personality and skills. Through this, answers to these questions will begin to emerge. Results from these activities will be automatically stored in a confidential personal profile, which can be used during the subsequent career planning stages.

Trainee doctors will have a portfolio to help with self-assessment, you should always ask them to bring their portfolios with them when you are meeting with them. The foundation trainee portfolio has a section on career management.

2. Career Exploration
Medical students and doctors in training will learn about the importance of research in helping them to choose their specialty. They will find out where to look and what to look for, including where to find the most relevant publications and how to track down the most informative contacts.

The detailed information on the specialty pages on this website will help medical students and trainees. It will also be beneficial to direct both students and trainees to their University/Education Centre libraries which will have useful careers guides.
If foundation trainees want to apply post-foundation to a specialty in which they have not had a rotation, they should be encouraged to try tasters and/or to complete audits. See Guidance on Tasters for Foundation Trainees published on the UKFPO website.

3. Decision Making
With a good understanding of themselves and their career options, students and doctors in training will be ready to start making some solid career decisions. This section walks them through how to align their self-assessment with what they have learned about the different specialties in order to make their choice.

At this stage it is important to check back to ensure that medical students and trainees have thoroughly completed stages 1 and 2. You should check the robustness of their decision-making by asking them questions about their decision and challenging them where necessary – see section V in ROADS to Success (Reid and Elton, 2008)

It is also important that medical students and trainees also have a back-up plan in case they are unsuccessful in achieving their first choice option. They may not want to consider this and in the end it is their own choice. If they are reluctant to do so, you can always point out that research by Borges et al in 2004 has suggested that it is a myth that each trainee is only suited to one particular specialty. Some trainees at this stage may require specialist careers advice.

4. Plan Implementation
This final stage provides practical advice for getting into specialty training, including how to make the most of your experience in CVs and tips for success at interviews and assessment centers.

Q.4) Short note on career stages
According to Biiehler, the five definite stages of development from the guidance point of view are:
1 Stage of Growth until 13 years: This stage is regarded as the stage of fantasy. The individual has rapid physical and mental development and participates in all types of activities irrespective of whether it suits his abilities, temperament or not. He fantasies himself in future roles without considering whether he can actually accomplish them. He has still not developed his value system and a definite plan of action to forge ahead. The need for guidance at this stage is most important in the area of development and adjustment. If for any reason, he feels thwarted or strangulated, it would permanently damage his personality, e.g. if parental attitudes are dominant or overprotective; or there is tremendous sibling jealousy, or there is unhealthy antagonistic environment at school. Guidance is also needed in the area of educational and professional development.

2 Stage of Exploration: This is the second stage of development from ages 13 to 25 and is called the tentative stage. By 13, the individual begins to show specialization as special abilities or aptitudes come into prominence. From the world of fantasy, he begins to settle down to a certain plan of action or shows consistency in his participation of activities, not randomly selected or visualizes an educational course which will lead him to his vocational choice and so on. As mentioned, he begins to explore all opportunities coming his way and makes a choice, not out of sheer pleasure or fancy but out of careful considerations of what is possible for him or good for him. Guidance is needed most in the adjustment area, as the individual enters adolescence and finds himself lost with the world around him. Most of the work of a guidance counselor is concentrated at this stage of development. If the individual is properly guided at this stage, his further development will be facilitated.
3 Stage of Establishment: This is the third stage in the development progress between the age group of 25 and 40 years, and it is called the realistic stage. By now, the individual is in a career and has completed formal training and education. He has to gain vocational development, adjustment and maturity. Guidance may be required, if the individual finds that his inter-personal relationship is not in order and is not able to get along with his colleagues or his boss. If he has developed sensitiveness to the miseries of the people around him and desires to do some civic or community service to the disturbed or the handicapped, he may ask guidance in the area and plan his time and energy to gain maximum satisfaction.
4 Stage of Maintenance: The fourth stage is referred to as a stage of stability, between ages 40 and 65. He has by now accomplished all what he needs to and has almost come to the stage of retirement. The guidance that he needs, at this stage is with regard to economic matters and leisure time. If he is dependent on his children, at this stage, he normally intends passing his time in religious activities and projects connected with religious institutions.
5 Stage of Decline: This is the fifth stage, around the age of 65 to 75, when the adjustments become the most. Unless the individual has had a full, contented life, this period becomes one of trials and tribulations. The greatest need is to help the individual to feel that he is wanted, that he is still useful and that his family members care for him. Also gradually, he needs to be prepared to face death and whatever his ailments be, he has to learn to bear them with courage and cheerfulness till the very end.
Thus, we see that at each stage of development, guidance is required and is necessarily sought and if given systematically and scientifically it will help to make the individual fully satisfied and life worth living.

Q.5) Short note on career management process
To manage means "to control, handle, or cope." Career management is the ability to control your life, handle the demands of work and life, and cope with a dynamic and changing economy that directly affects your work life and career development. Ask yourself:
• Who are you?
• What interests you?
• What do you like to do?
• What are you good at doing?
• What do you value, what's important to you?
• What are your special assets, skills, and abilities?
• Who needs the talents, skills, and abilities you can provide?
• What work environment and/or arrangements make sense for you?
• What skills do you need to acquire to develop and manage your career?
The career planning process of self-awareness, career exploration, and job search strategies must encompass and embrace these concepts.
Self-Assessment / Knowing Yourself
Look within yourself to discover your interests, skills, personality traits, and values. Also ask friends, family members, teachers, or mentors if they see the same qualities in you as you see in yourself. Simply ask:
• What do I like to do?
• What activities do I find fun, motivating, interesting, and enjoyable?
• What skills and abilities do I have or want to develop?
• What personal style or characteristics do I have that are important to me in the work place?
• What purpose or goal do I want to accomplish in my career?
Career Exploration
Investigate all the career choices, options, and opportunities available to you. Attend career fairs, visit a career center in your school or community, talk to people in various careers, shadow or spend time with people in careers that interest you. Ask:
• How did you get started in this career?
• What is a typical day like?
• What type of training or education is required?
• What are the starting and average salaries?
Next, set some goals. Research careers that interest you to determine how to prepare for them and how much training and education are required to be successful. After gathering the information, set goals to attain the required training.
Job Search
Once you've decided on a career path and made strides in obtaining the required training and education, you will be prepared to begin searching for a job that suits you. Job searching skills include:
• How to write a resume and cover letter
• How to network to find job openings
• How to fill out an application
• How to interview successfully for a job
Career planning is an ongoing process. Regardless of your age, it is important to assess where you are if you're going to meet your goals and turn your dreams into reality. For example, an unskilled worker with little education or experience in the workforce has different needs from a recent college graduate looking to launch a first-time professional or technical career. An older adult with educational credentials and years of experience, but who is in transition because of layoff or an employer's reorganization, faces a different set of issues. Everyone can benefit from the process of self-assessment, exploring career opportunities, and learning effective, assertive job search strategies that produce results.
This is where your career path begins: learning about yourself, exploring careers, and beginning your job search. Remember, career management is a life-long process. Few people stay in one job or on one career path throughout their lives, so you may find yourself completing the process more than once along the way.

Q.6) HOW ORGANISATIONS CAN HELP AN EMPLOYEE IN HIS/HER CAREER DEVELPOMENT?

A career development plan is totally different from a performance appraisal. Performance appraisals focus on your supervisor’s perception of your contributions and your developmental needs over the course of the past six months to a year.

A career development plan is future-focused and details what you as an employee would like to learn and contribute. A word of caution here, career development plans are not created in a vacuum. It is essential for employees to take into account departmental and organizational needs, objectives and goals when creating their career plans.

Personal and professional growths are important factors for keeping your career moving in a direction with which you are satisfied. Prior to setting up a meeting to discuss your plan with your manager or supervisor you will want to engage in self-assessment so that you will be able to clearly define and articulate your goals and developmental needs.
As you begin your self-assessment, keep in mind , The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.? Take some time to reflect on the following factors:

What are your motivated skills and talents? Which skills do you enjoy utilizing most? How would you like to expand your knowledge and your ability to contribute?
What specific aspects of your job, the department and the overall payroll function are the most interesting to you? What would you like to learn more about, and how will this bring more value to your department and make your boss?s life easier?
What are your work/life values, and how do your values overlap with the values and priorities of your department and your organization?
What could you do to increase your satisfaction, and decrease factors that are not sources of satisfaction? Steps to increase your satisfaction could be as simple as rearranging your office to get out of the draft caused by the heating and air conditioning system, or as complex as researching, crafting and presenting a job sharing proposal. What would make you a happier, more productive employee?
What ideas do you have for enhancing your current efficiency and effectiveness? This might include learning how to perform functions that other team members perform in case they are out of the office. Also take into account, ways you could train other team members to enhance their effectiveness and/or knowledge base.

When creating your plan, consider:

1. Results from a 360? assessment instrument which gives you feedback from not only your manager, but also from your peers, subordinates and customers
2. Your previous performance appraisals
3. Future trends which will be impacting the payroll profession and skills/knowledge needed to adapt to and thrive in the forthcoming environment
4. Customer feedback and letters of appreciation
5. What one thing more than anything else is holding you back? Work out a strategy for overcoming that roadblock/obstacle.

Develop both a short-term and a long-term career development plan. The timeframes for such plans vary from individual to individual. For some, short-term means the steps they will take over the next three to six months while for others short-term might mean completing a degree or certification that takes much longer than six months so they could reach their long-term goal of obtaining a promotion.
Your development plan is a road map for plotting your career future. Don’t leave your future to happenstance. The magic begins when you set goals. A switch is turned on, the current begins to flow, and the power to accomplish becomes yours.
career development planning is for individuals as well as the organization

Career development planning procedures are always based on what the organization needs. But they have to recognize that organizational needs will not be satisfied if individual needs are neglected. Career development planning has to be concerned with the management of diversity.

Career development plans must therefore recognize that:

* members of the organization should receive recognition as individuals with unique needs, wants, and abilities;
* individuals are more motivated by an organization that responds to their aspirations and needs;
* individuals can grow, change and seek new directions if they are given the right opportunities, encouragement and guidance.

Career development planning techniques

Career planning uses all the information generated by the succession plans, performance, and potential assessments and self-assessments to develop programs and procedures which are designed to implement career management policies, achieve succession planning objectives and generally improve motivation, commitment and performance. The procedures used are those concerned with:

In addition, career development planning procedures may cater for the rising stars by 'fast tracking' them, that is, deliberately accelerating promotion and giving them opportunities to display and enlarge their talents. But these procedures should pay just as much, if not more, attention to those managers who are following the middle route of steady, albeit unspectacular, progression.

1. Career counseling

Performance management processes, should provide for counseling sessions between individuals and their managers. These sessions should give the former the opportunity to discuss their aspirations and the latter the chance to comment on them - helpfully - and, at a later stage, to put forward specific
career development proposals to be fed into the overall career management programs.
.Personal development planning

Personal development planning is carried out by individuals with guidance, encouragement and help from their managers/HRM as required. A personal development plan sets out the actions people propose to take to learn and to develop themselves. They take responsibility for formulating and implementing the plan, but they receive support from the organization and their managers in doing so. The purpose is to provide a 'self-organized learning framework'.
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3. MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT

Formal approaches to management development

The formal approaches to management development include:

* development on the job through coaching, counseling, monitoring and feedback by managers on a continuous basis associated with the use of performance management processes to identify and satisfy development needs, and with mentoring;

* development through work experience, which includes job rotation, job enlargement, taking part in project teams or task groups, 'action learning', and secondment outside the organization;

*formal training by means of internal or external courses;

*structured self-development by following self-managed learning programs agreed as a personal development plan or learning contract with the manager or a management development adviser - these may include guidance reading or the deliberate extension of knowledge or acquisition of new skills on the job.
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Mentoring

Mentoring is the process of using specially selected and trained individuals to provide guidance and advice which will help to develop the careers of the 'proteges' Allocated to them.

Mentoring is aimed at complementing learning on the job, which must always be the best way of acquiring the particular skills and knowledge the job holder needs. Mentoring also complements formal training by providing those who benefit from it with individual guidance from experienced managers who are 'wise in the ways of the organization'.

Mentors provide for the person or persons allocated to them :
advice in drawing up self-development programs or learning contracts; general help with learning programs; guidance on how to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to do a new job; advice on dealing with any administrative, technical or people problems individuals meet.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROCESS-A SIMPLE APPROACH

. This Career Development Guide provides employees and their management with a reference document that:

Offers a general "road map" for continuing career and professional development.

Provides an understanding of the behavioral and technical competencies that are required to effectively perform tasks in their occupations, and to use for career planning.

Presents a reference document on learning and other developmental opportunities which may be used in preparation of Employee Development Plans - a component of the Employee Work Profile
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What it is

Career development is an ongoing process where employees:

Explore their interests and abilities
Strategically plan their career goals, and
Create their future work success by designing learning and action plans to help them achieve their goals.

Career development involves being aware of one's personal goals and values as well as work goals. It involves continuously learning and applying new knowledge, taking advantage of opportunities, and taking risks in order to help the organization be productive and effective chieving one's career and personal goals.

The purpose of career development is to:

Enhance each employee's current performance
Enable individuals to take advantage of future job opportunities
Fulfill their employer's goals for a dynamic and effective workforce.
We live in uncertain times. Factors outside of the employee and employer's control may affect the outcome of career actions. But one thing is true - the best career development move is to perform well in one's current position.

Consistent, high quality performance along with thoughtful career planning will help ensure continued success on the job.
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Who's responsible

The employee has the lead responsibility for his or her career development.
Supervisors, managers, and the organization can provide meaningful assistance in this process.

The following are examples of career development actions:

Employees:

Decide what they want from their careers now and in the future
Take actions individually or with their supervisors to assess individual interests, strengths, and areas for development
As part of the performance management process, develop a yearly Employee Development Plan (EDP) with supervisor input, including current job development and longer term career objectives
Work with supervisor to identify on the job learning and training opportunities, continued education, and/or avenues for professional development

Managers:

Identify the job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies and experience that employees need to be effective in their positions
Help employees define short and long term development needs that support organizational objectives and employee career goals
Support Employee Development Plans by indicating specific steps that need to be taken and by whom to accomplish the learning goals.

Organization:

Provide a job and compensation structure that supports the organization's goals and allows for individual development and growth
Provides time and available funding for development activities
Use the knowledge, skills and abilities of each employee to support organizational objectives
Develop a proactive approach to meet future staffing needs

Employee Development Plans

The Employee Development Plan (EDP) is part of the performance management system. On an annual basis (or more frequently), supervisors and employees meet to discuss the career and personal learning goals of the employee and the organization, identify the learning steps and resources needed, and put together a plan to achieve those goals over the coming year.
An EDP should include short and long term career goals, and the training, education, and learning that is needed to achieve them.
The keys to success in developing an EDP are information, communication, joint decision- making, and willingness to learn:

Information:

Employees need to understand their own strengths, preferences and career goals as well as options for future career progression within the agency or elsewhere in state government. Creating a career development plan is a good way to keep track of this information so you are prepared to discuss your career with your supervisor. The Career Maps feature being developed for this provide a good way to understand potential career moves within the organization.
Supervisors need to understand the organization's current staffing and performance needs, as well as the knowledge, skills, experience and competencies needed to perform in the current role and in the future.

Communication:

The employee is responsible for making supervisors aware of their career and professional development goals, especially if they change.
There are rapid changes in today's world: missions and projects begin and end; budgets go up and down, and the need for skills and abilities can change quickly. It is up to the supervisor to communicate the current and anticipated needs of the organization so that decisions can be made that are in the best interests of the organization as well as the employee.

Joint Decision-making:

Although EDPs and career development plans are unique to each employee, they do not exist alone. Employees need to consider important issues like available funding, workload, and the needs of other employees when making decisions and career plans.
Supervisors need to take employees' goals into consideration as they consider what development initiatives to support, and how to allocate available funds within their units. Understanding employee career goals may help supervisors identify alternative development activities that meet those needs when budgets are tight.

Willingness to learn:

Gone is the time when good employees can expect to automatically move up a predefined career ladder. Employees need to be agile in finding the right jobs throughout their careers. A demonstrated willingness to continue to learn and use new skills, particularly technical skills, is critical to long-term career success.
Organizations are moving toward flatter structures, and the traditional movement "up" the career ladder is no longer the only way to achieve success. Employees need to be creative in identifying ways to move along in their career - such as lateral moves, learning or experiential opportunities or even career changes that will broaden their experience or help leverage them into a different area.
Supervisors need to stay aware of individual employees' development needs, and make opportunities available to employees that will help them achieve their career goals and contribute to their work unit's success.
You are Unique
There is no single career development path that is right for everyone. People have different skills, interests, values and goals - and each person's career and individual development plans must take these differences into account.
The same is true for individual jobs . Although two jobs may have the same general role description, the mission of the organization , and the specific circumstances and environment of one job, may differ from a job with the same role name in another organization.
As you progress through the ranks, different skills and behaviors may be needed in different combinations in order to be successful. For example, as an employee progresses from entry level, to journey level to a senior or executive level, the need for increased competency in leadership, or understanding the business, will be much greater than as an entry level person in their career group.